Thought for the Week - 28th November 2022

Thought for the Weak?

Apologies, I can’t resist a little word play. I feel prompted today to write about weakness, and that is something I usually find quite easy to resist.

2 Colossians 1:5 

‘For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.’

Humans are fragile, there is no denying is. Life is fragile. Just this weekend we came face to face with that fragility as our beloved dog (yes Bruce, from Bruce’s Crew) was in an unfortunate accident. In the blink of an eye everything changed as he slipped from safety and into the path of a moving car. This time he was lucky. He was hit, but miraculously not injured. But we didn’t know there was no internal damage until he had been checked but the vet. Even then we have tentatively watched him for signs of injury. We know all too well that this could have easily had a very different ending. It has led us to have conversations, again, with ourselves about the inevitably of the day when we will have to say goodbye. And that’s just the dog!

Most of us know deep down, even if we don’t admit it, that we are weak. Everyone has a weakness (or several) and it doesn’t take much to knock us down. When adverse circumstances arise, we realise how close we are to difficulties on any given day. From our very conception, life is delicate and vulnerable, the odds are stacked against us really; as for today, I feel strong and healthy, but I know that can change in an instant by things way beyond my control. This is the nature of our world, our condition. We are weak. And that is before we even begin to think about the weaknesses in our character.

Many of us struggle with things that we may be ashamed of or want to hide. We might consider some of our struggles to be signs of ‘weakness’, meaning that we are somehow less. Rather than accepting these things as part of the human condition, we can be embarrassed or think there is something shameful. Mental health can be one of those things and it is not always easy to talk about. However, these experiences give us empathy with others, and when we share and talk about them, we are able to help each other, and bless each other through honesty and connection. 

Our weaknesses are made strong in Christ, but that happens when we are honest about those areas and we bring them before God. Sometimes God will heal those parts of us now, and sometimes it seems that we may have to endure a while longer. We do not always understand why, but we trust God who holds us in all things.

If you find yourself struggling with addiction, mental health problems, losing the fight in your relationship, or making choices you regret, don’t let shame overcome you. You are blessed because you have seen your weakness. You have met it, named it and you have your weakness in common with others. Do not let it isolate you, but seek to find connection with others, so that we may grow together in Christ. Tomorrow is a new day and we have permission by grace to start again, and we may become an encouragement to others.